Vietnamese-Czech goalkeeper applies for Vietnamese citizenship

Filip Nguyen has applied for Vietnamese citizenship in order to be eligible to play for the national football team.

"With the support of my beloved father, I have submitted my paperwork to ask for Vietnamese citizenship," Nguyen wrote on his Facebook fanpage Tuesday.

"My paperwork has been completed. I’m just waiting for the approval from the authorities. If everything works out, I can finally wear the red and golden star jersey of beloved Vietnam! Let’s wait for the good news and hope that it will come soon so that I can fulfill my dream of playing for my home country," the post said.

Filip, born to a Czech mother and a Vietnamese father (native of Hai Phong city), is 1.91 meters (six feet three inches) tall – an ideal height for a goalkeeper.

In the 2018/2019 season of the Czech First League, Filip performed excellently for his club Slovan Liberec, going 440 minutes without conceding. He also had the lowest conceding rate (0.8 goals per game) and the highest saving rate (79.1 percent). He was named "Goalkeeper of the Season" in 2019.

In May, Filip expressed his desire to stay in Europe with the hope of representing the Czech national team in the future.

He attended trials for Thanh Hoa FC in 2016 but didn’t succeed.

Filip is currently evaluated at €950,000 ($1 million) on transfer site Transfermakt, which is three times higher than Vietnam’s current goalkeeper Dang Van Lam.